Shenzhen Natural Science Foundation General Program
Supports Shenzhen researchers through the Natural Science Foundation for foundational research across disciplines.
⚠ This may reflect a past cycle — verify the current call on the funder's site.
The Shenzhen Natural Science Foundation General Program, administered through the Shenzhen Basic Research Fund under the Shenzhen Science, Technology and Innovation Commission, supports investigator-led basic research at Shenzhen-based universities and research institutions. The 2025 annual cycle covered all natural-science disciplines with no disciplinary quota, spanning fields such as biotechnology, artificial intelligence, advanced materials, hardware, and quantum science. The program funds fundamental research rather than commercial development, and is open to academic investigators rather than companies.
Each project receives up to CNY 300,000 over a standard three-year duration, adjustable from one to three years for projects led by PhD students. The 2025 cycle funded approximately 1,300 projects, making it a high-volume basic-research instrument, and its submission deadline was 12:00 on May 21, 2025. The principal investigator must hold a senior professional title, a doctoral degree, or be a current PhD student with supervisor approval; intermediate-title holders with a master's degree may apply with two senior-rank recommendations. For-profit and non-profit entities are not eligible, while universities, research organizations, and individual investigators are. Applications are submitted through the Shenzhen Science and Technology Business Management System, with all materials in Chinese.
With roughly 1,300 awards and no disciplinary cap, the program offers broad access across natural-science fields for qualified investigators. Strong proposals present a well-scoped basic-research question with a credible three-year plan and confirm that the principal investigator clears one of the eligibility paths. The 2025 cycle is closed; a 2026 cycle is expected but not yet detailed, so prospective applicants should monitor the Shenzhen business-management system for the next call and prepare Chinese-language materials in advance.
Basic research across all natural science disciplines with no disciplinary quota, conducted by investigators at Shenzhen-based universities and research institutions.
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